In today's wireless mobile computing world, there are a variety of different types of wireless networks. Each of the different wireless networks may use enablers to expose various capabilities of the wireless network. The capabilities that are exposed by the enablers are different for each access provider. Exemplary capabilities that may be exposed include device management, device provisioning, device information, call control, device location, and device presence information.
A number of third parties outside the wireless network may have an interest in having access to the capabilities provided by a mobile network. For instance, third parties may want to develop applications for the mobile market that take advantage of the capabilities of a mobile network. As another example, enterprises may want to develop internal applications that use capabilities of mobile networks to mobilize their workforces.
Various technologies exist that allow the mobile network operator to expose access to some of the network capabilities to interested third parties outside the mobile network. These technologies include Parlay (http://www.parlay.org), and Web Service technologies including WSFL, WSXL, UDDI, OASIS WS inspection, OASIS WS-Security, WS-Provisioning, SLA, and others. With all of these technologies, third parties must depend on mobile network operators to expose the mobile network capabilities. However, these technologies are not widely deployed by the mobile network operators. The end result is that third parties are often left without the ability to access the capabilities of a mobile network.